NEW YORK — To Terry Collins, figuring out his daily lineup is like playing a game of Whack-A-Mole: One problem pops up, solve it, only to see another problem appear elsewhere. The mole that keeps popping up the most however, is the one at the top of the lineup. The leadoff hitter has been a constant question mark for Collins and the Mets, with players rotating in and out.

All while the results stay the same.

Daniel Murphy was in the No. 1 spot for the third straight game on Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds and while the results have been decent, they have been anything but spectacular. Collins doesn't want to put one of his better hitters at the top, but he's been left with little choice. That's because the ideal guy for that spot — Ruben Tejada — has been so ineffective this season.

"If he was giving us the at-bats that we saw last year, he is the leadoff hitter," Collins said before Tuesday night's game. "The guy that — even with two strikes — just battled a pitcher. Just battled a pitcher. Right now, he's still trying to battle the pitcher, but how he's swinging the bat? He's hitting the ball."

While this sounds like the outcome that Collins would want, it's not.

The problem when Tejada is making contact, is that he's popping the ball up and making outs. Last year, those at-bats where the shortstop made contact where often well-placed base hits which would set the table for the rest of the lineup. Instead, he's just making outs and putting the Mets behind at the top of the order. That's why he's been dropped to the bottom and sent Collins on a (so far) never-ending quest to find some consistency at the top of the lineup.

"He would foul off those real tough pitches," Collins said. "And now he's either missing them or putting them in play. And when he's putting them in play, they're in the air."

Entering Tuesday night's game against Cincinnati, Tejada was hitting just .213 — down from last season's rather robust .289 batting average. Since April 28, when he had two doubles in a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, Tejada has just two extra-base hits in his last 19 games.

Collins said that while Tejada's swing isn't being overextended, there is a mechanical issue that everyone is trying to correct.

"He's just hitting underneath the baseball," Collins said. "He was out early early with (batting coach) Dave (Hudgens) trying to stay above the ball. Keep that barrel above the baseball, so he gets more line drives and more ground balls and less fly balls. I didn't have any power when I played and I tell you, if I hit a ball in the air, my butt was kicked out of the batting cage. There are some things you've got to do to work to your strengths. And he's got to be hitting line drives.

"Fly balls? They're great, once in a while when you hit one in the gap. But he's a guy who's got to be beating those line drives down the middle."

Should Tejada find the flaw in his swing and rhythm, there is a chance that Collins could finally be able to reset his lineup and return it to normal. They know he's not tired and that he hasn't lost what made him successful last season. He's just lost the ability to put the ball where the Mets need it — which would put him where the Mets need him in the batting order.

"In the first 40 games of the season, this guy has had eight days off," Collins said. "I would hope that fatigue is not an issue. If it is, we didn't do a very good job of getting him in shape. I'm hoping that's not it. ... He's just got to start getting it done."

Notes: Once again, Mets manager Terry Collins was left with little options in putting together his lineup. Monday night he had talked about putting Mike Baxter in the 5-hole, to replace Marlon Byrd. But because he wanted to take advantage of Rick Ankiel's power potential, he moved Baxter to the second slot and Ankiel to the five. ... Collins also side-stepped a question regarding the potential of Matt Harvey's innings pitched count. The manager has said previously that Harvey has no set limit, but added: "It's May. I wish I knew what was going to happen in September. I wish I could tell you. I wish I had a crystal ball and say, 'He's going to get to 215 (innings pitched) and we're going to have to be very cautious.' I can't tell you what's going to happen. That's too far away."

Notes: According to a NY Times story this morning, Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo -- the team's starting center fielder -- will likely not resign with the club before exploring free agency first. "I kept telling Choo: 'You're special,'" Choo's agent, Scott Boras said. "You're not going to be good every year; that's not how the game works. but the reality is you're special. Be patient, accumulate your record and these are your choices." ... After blowing a save on Sunday -- with the cause blamed on 18 consumed Cuban pastries as a backdrop -- Reds closer Aroldis Chapman looked back to normal Monday night, getting a save. He threw 11 pitches, eight for strikes.

Weather: Another summer-like night in Queens. ... Unseasonably hot temperatures and humidity will make it feel much warmer than normal, with temps in the mid-to-upper 70s throughout the night. ... Humidity levels will once again be high, in the low 70s. ... There will be a slight breeze out of the south, between 6-9 mph. ... Expected temperature at first pitch: 77 degrees. ... Sunset is at 8:11 p.m.